Early years toolkit
Useful resources to help develop your early years setting.
On this page
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
- The EYFS in schools
- Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- OCC EYFS Audit Musts for group and school-based providers (docx format, 150 KB)
- Development Matters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Help for early years providers - Department for Education
- Ofsted EIF inspections and the EYES
- What to expect in the EYFS: for parents
- Implementing the early years foundation stage reforms
- Progress check age 2
Qualifications
- Early years qualification requirements and standards
- Early Years Qualification finder
- Qualifications that do not count towards the early years EYFS staff : child ratios
- Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom
- Early years qualifications achieved outside the United Kingdom
Statutory assessment including EYFS Profile
- Early years foundation stage profile handbook
- Early years foundation stage: exemplification materials
- Early Years Foundation Stage Profile assessment - supporting information for case study videos
- Myth Busting for EYFS Profile (EYFSP) and reception year
- 2023 reception baseline assessment: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA)
- Progress check at age two
School readiness
- What is school readiness?
- Early years and schools resources The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity for potty and toilet training advice
- Toileting and Personal Care Guidance for Schools and Early Years Settings in Oxfordshire July 2021 (pdf format, 350Kb)
- School Settling-in Policy 2023 (docx format, 60 Kb)
Health and wellbeing
Health protection in education and childcare settings
- A practical guide for staff on managing cases of infectious diseases in education and childcare settings (GOV.UK).
- First aid in schools, early years and further education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Using emergency adrenaline auto-injectors in schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Unintentional injuries: prevention in children under 5 years - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Allergen guidance for food businesses | Food Standards Agency
- Looking after children and those in early years settings during heatwaves: for teachers and professionals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Sunscreen and sun safety - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- First aid reminder statutory requirements (pdf format, 30KB) (oxfordshire.gov.uk)
- Safer sleep awareness: A guide for childminders, foster carers, nannies and nursery settings
Physical health and wellbeing
- Eye tests for children - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Childhood obesity: a plan for action - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The Eatwell Guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Example menus for early years settings in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Physical activity guidelines for children (under 5 years) (www.nhs.uk)
- Physical activity for children and young people: 5 to 18 years (www.gov.uk)
- Physical activity guidelines for disabled children and disabled young people: methodology (www.gov.uk)
Mental and emotional health and wellbeing
Children’s safeguarding and welfare
Allegations
Attendance
- Why good attendance is important (pdf format, 837Kb)
- Parental engagement and attendance (pdf format, 362Kb)
- School Attendance Guidance
- Attendance poster (pdf format, 300KB)
Child protection
- Reporting Concerns
- Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners
- OAC (oxfordagainstcutting.org)
- FGM Home Office Training
- Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines
Early Help and LCSS
Information recording, retention and sharing
- Information sharing advice for practitioners
- Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility
National Safeguarding documentation
- Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners
- Keeping Children safe in Education
- Working together to safeguard children
- Ofsted Early Years and childcare enforcement policy
- Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings
Neglect
Online safety
Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for:
- Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for managers
- Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety guidance for practitioners
- CEOP Education (thinkuknow.co.uk)
- Teaching online safety in schools
- Teaching your child about internet and online safety
- Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board (2022)
Prevent
- Protecting children from radicalisation: the prevent duty
- Prevent Duty e-learning training
- Early education poster - The Prevent Duty (currently being updated)
- Early education poster - Fundermental British Values (currently being updated)
- Early education poster - Spotting signs (currently being updated)
- Early education poster - Radicalisation - Talking to children (currently being updated)
Policies
- Sample Code of Conduct for parents/ carers and visitors (docx format, 20Kb)
- Early Years Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy (for settings) 2023-24 (docx format, 68KB)
- Childminder Early Years safeguarding and child protection policy 2023-24 (doc format, 133KB)
Safer recruitment and safer working
- Safer recruitment Consortium
- Criminal records checks for overseas applicants
- Disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006
- Recruiting and managing early years staff
- Regulated Activity
- EY 3
- Personal file checklist (docx format, 22Kb)
- Barring - making a referral
- Criminal records checks for overseas applicants
- Apply to join a nursery or other daycare organisation (EY2)
Safeguarding resources
Children’s learning and development
The home learning environment
- Virtual school (VSLAC) - guide to home learning (pdf format, 50Kb)
- Words for life
- The Literacy Trust
- 50 things to do - Oxfordshire
- Reading and communication
- Play and activity
- Making the most of the home learning environment (pdf format)
Play
Working with birth to threes
Curriculum
Communication and language
- Dialogic book talk guide (pdf format, 25Kb)
- Dialogic book talk plan (doc format, 26Kb)
- BRISC Surveillance sheet (docx format, 1.2Mb)
- IDP - Supporting children with speech, language and communication difficulties (pdf format, 1.3Mb)
- IDP - Supporting Children on the Autistic Spectrum (pdf format, 1.2Mb)
- Communication and Interaction Support poster (pdf format, 442Kb)
- Improving the Home Learning Environment
- National Literacy Trust’s website - Words for life
- Talk-friendly learning environment audit (docx format, 126Kb)
- Speech and language UK
- Tiny happy people
- Education Endowment Foundation
Literacy
- Bookstart
- Writing resources: Beyond A4 white paper and pencils! (pdf format, 52Kb)
- Understanding key elements of narrative writing (pdf format, 87Kb)
- Writing booklet, for schools (pdf format, 977Kb)
- Preparing for Literacy EEF Guidance Report
- The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy (GOV.UK)
- Research review series: English (for schools)
- Choosing a phonics teaching programme
Maths
- Maths in the EYFS Enabling Environments (pdf format, 7.1Mb)
- BBO Maths Hub
- GLOW Maths Hub
- NRICH
- Foundation Years Maths resources
Physical development
Leadership and management
Strategic Leadership of EYFS – guidance for headteachers
- Guidance of Strategy (pdf format, 293 KB)
- Adult-led staff practice observation (docx format, 949 KB)
- Child-led staff practice observation (docx format, 947 KB)
- Data analysis good practice (docx format, 89 KB)
- EYFS Learning Walk template (docx format, 60 KB)
- Governor monitoring of Early (docx format, 99 KB)
- Quality interaction observation (docx format, 947 KB)
- Quality provision for 2 year (docx format, 86 KB)
- Schools Ofsted EY grade (docx format, 130 KB)
- Talk friendly learning environment (docxpdf format, 126 KB)
- Guidance and templates for development (docx format, 148 KB)
Ofsted information
Business
- Business, financial, and legal aspects of managing early years settings
- Early years business sustainability
- Opening a new day nursery
- Early Years providers webpage template (docx format, 31 KB)
EYDT Data management tool
Qualifications
- Early Years teachers' standards (pdf format, 190Kb)
- Link to GOV.UK tools on checking qualifications - early years qualification finder
- Guide to qualifications
Data Protection
- Information Commissioner's office and GDPR
- Data protection: privacy notice model documents - GOV.UK
- Findings from ICO advisory visits to nurseries
- Data Protection Act 2018
- Data protection toolkit for schools - GOV.UK
EYFS Profile
Early education funding
Family Information Service
Out of School clubs
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Special educational needs and disability
- SEN support for providers
- Early years SEN toolkit
- The local offer for SEN and Disability (SEND) brings together information about education, health and care services for children and young people from 0 to 25 with SEND.
- The SENDCO Helpdesk - is on hand to provide working SENDCos with strategies, signposting, early intervention guidance and universal support for primary age/stage and early years children.
- Early years guide to the SEND Code of Practice
English as an additional language (EAL)
- EAL support audit (doc format, 320Kb)
- Guidance for Early Years practitioners on supporting children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL). (pdf format, 457Kb)
- The importance of home languages (pdf format, 68Kb)
- Google Translate - online text translation
- Welcoming refugee children in Oxfordshire Toolkit (pdf format, 2 MB)
Equality and diversity
- Equality act 2010: guidance
- Getting Started Celebrating Difference and challenging Gender stereotypes in the Early years Foundation Stage
- Creating Inclusive Environments audit (docx format, 377 KB)
- Anti-Racist Art Education Action Group
The voice of the child
Narrowing the gap - diminishing difference
Key documents
- Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils briefing for school leaders
- Ofsted: Unknown children – destined for disadvantage?
- Improving the home learning environment
- Metacognition and self-regulated learning
Supportive materials
- Pupil groups Venn diagram (docx format, 24Kb)
- Early Intervention Foundation
- Education Endowment Foundation Guidance reports
Funded two-year-olds
- Information on the two-year-old entitlement for providers
- Quality provision for two-year-olds audit (doc format, 75Kb) A useful self-assessment tool.
- Supporting Two-Year-Olds (pdf format, 550KB)
Early Years Pupil Premium
The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) gives early education and childcare providers extra funding to support eligible three and 4-year-olds.
Providers are paid a pupil premium at the rate of 66p per hour for three and 4-year-old children. Funding can be claimed for eligible children attending up to 15 hours per week (the pupil premium cannot be applied to the extended entitlement hours).
Toolkit
The Early Years team have developed a comprehensive toolkit of resources to support busy leaders and practitioners in early years settings and schools. The toolkit can be accessed via our dedicated website on an annual subscription basis.